There are a variety of existing technologies which track and monitor location data. One example is a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system which captures location information at regular intervals from earth-orbiting satellites. Another example is a radio frequency identification (RFID) system which identifies and tracks the location of assets and inventory by affixing a small microchip or tag to an object or person being tracked. Tracking of individuals, devices and goods may be performed using WiFi (IEEE 802.11), cellular wireless (2G, 3G, 4G, etc.) and other WLAN, WAN and other wireless communications technologies.
Additional technologies exist which use geographical positioning to provide information or entertainment services based on a user's location. In one example, an individual uses a mobile device to identify the nearest ATM or restaurant based on his or her current location. Another example is the delivery of targeted advertising or promotions to individuals whom are near a particular eating or retail establishment.
In existing systems, received information, such as both user data and place data are noisy. User location data can be noisy due to poor GPS reception, poor Wi-Fi reception, or weak cell phone signals. Similarly, mobile electronic devices can lack certain types of sensors or have low quality sensor readings. In the same way, the absence of a comprehensive database of places with sufficient coverage and accurate location information causes place data to also be noisy.
The need exists for a method that utilizes location data to accurately identify the location of people, objects, goods, etc., as well as provide additional benefits. Overall, the examples herein of some prior or related systems and their associated limitations are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will be become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following Detailed Description.